I’m Hozier, a singer-songwriter from Wicklow. AMA.

Thrilled to be here with you today, Reddit! You may know me best from my songs “Take Me To Church,” “Someone New,” “Jackie & Wilson,” or my latest release “Better Love” from the Legend Of Tarzan soundtrack.

I hail from County Wicklow in Ireland but have toured the world over the last two years, and am in California today talking about “Better Love” from the film “The Legend Of Tarzan."

Reddit was the catalyst that helped the Take Me To Church video to go viral the night it was released. You once said that you didn’t know which friend was behind the username who posted it that night but that you’d love to buy him a pint. Did you ever find out?

About 6 years ago Jon offered me a lift into town to go college, and you were in the car with us. You were on your way to go busking on Grafton street, and had just gotten a slot at Oxegen (2009 I'm guessing?). You struck me as a really cool and down to earth guy. Not long after you put out the video for take me to church, and I posted it here because it was genuinely incredible and the type of thing Reddit would like.

Hey Hozier Big fan!
I am getting married a week from today (Holy shit) and will be walking down the isle to your song, "Like Real People Do". My question to you is, if or when you see yourself getting married what would be a must on the "Hozier wedding playlist"?

I think it's a real shame, what happened with the results. I think we arrived at this point through demagoguery.

My heart goes out to anyone who voted to remain and anyone who's young, and the youth that will be affected in the coming years. In the end, these things always sort themselves out although at the moment there seems to be a bit of free fall panic.

It's a shame that the Leave Campaign carried with it somewhat of a sentiment of xenophobia and I don't think the result represents the UK that I know. I hope it politicizes the younger generation.

I'm really, really flattered by all the gifts and the letters. I have to say on the record: it breaks my heart to see people send purchased gifts. I think it's immoral to accept them and I have more than I'll ever need or want.

So if any fans want to send on gifts, spend the dollars that you would spend and donate to any charity of your choice. I usually do what I can with a charity called ChildLine, which is involved with the ISPCC, and any charity that deals with protecting children. I know that any donation in that regard would be highly appreciated.

My uncle told me a long time ago to just "do it myself" and to just kind of develop the skills that you need to do whatever it is that you need to do in whatever field you are.

In the creative arts, you really have to just find your own way there...and failure is a good thing. It's a cliche, but what we regard as failure often times are steps toward getting us to where we need to be.

Hey! I've been following your music for a while, and I think you're a beacon of hope for what popular music can achieve. I love your cover of Sweet Thing by Van Morrison, and my question is this: what does Astral Weeks (the album) mean to you? It's my personal favourite record so I'm interested to hear about your experience with it.

Yes, of course. I don't understand why it is a contentious issue, but in no way does it suggest that I'm anti-man or anti-male.

I would be an advocate for a lot of men's rights that need to be discussed and I think anyone of sound mind and common sense would be able to see that there are inequalities on both sides that always need to addressed, but absolutely - of course I'm a feminist.

I think the fear is that when we get into binary thinking and binary discussion, we tend to lock up and shut down.

Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene is absolutely one of my favorite songs ever. The way it builds to the final chorus with the high harmony is just amazing. My question is: for songs like that, does it take you a while to come up with the lyrics or do you sit down and hammer them out in one sitting?

Hope to hear so much more from you, and thank you for everything you've already given us.

Very rarely would I be able to hammer out the lyrics for an entire song in one sitting. It can take a long, long time sometimes. You come away from it and then you go back to it and in your time away you might have new ideas.

First off your concert was the first I've ever been to and I wanted to say thank you for such an amazing experience. Also I have two questions. What was your favorite item to have while on tour? Could be anything food, a book, a record, hair ties...
What is something that you would like to see, see happen, or do in your life time?

Hey! I would say a good pair of headphones was important to have on tour. I also had a wireless speaker, which was essential for partying. Also...thank you! I'm glad my gig was the first one you'd ever seen. That's a big deal for anybody.

If it's not too much of a hassle, I was wondering if you could share some insight, or a very "long-story-short" version of your personal story/experiences behind "Like Real People Do" and "From Eden" ? Or just the first one, or any one of them at all, if it's alright.

Your songs and writing / lyrics are very touching. And you seem very connected to them, both while singing and the feeling you send.

There are two important influences to "Like Real People Do". One is Seamus Heaney's poems about bog people. The Grauballe Man would be an example and maybe something along the lines of "The Fisher Man And His Soul" by Oscar Wilde.

I would say that I kind of liked the imagery of someone digging up a person from the earth and falling in love with them and at the same time I suppose that person being dug from the earth is relieved, reborn, and somewhat suspicious of the motives of a grave digger. A fine love story.

I think, no I didn't turn to anyone for advice. I don't think I improved terribly greatly but it was just a natural thing of getting more comfortable. Things really went from not to 100 very quickly so there was no time for stagecraft development, I suppose - much to my regret. It's just something that has had to come about naturally.

When you first started writing songs, was it always with a view to sharing them with the world or did that come later? What was it like performing your own songs to an audience for the first time and how did that differ from performing other people's songs?

I think the first songs, certainly that I wrote, and I imagine in a lot of people's cases, is something you do in a very private space that you don't really want to share with the rest of the world at first.

You spend a lot of time arguing with yourself whether it is good enough. I think it's a good thing and a bad thing as you need to have a hight standard of quality for yourself but also you don't want to be afraid of taking the plunge when the time is right.

I was given a showcase at a music festival at the age of 18 and that was my first chance to share with the world. It was terrifying, but you just have to do those things.

I started writing at 15 or 16 and didn't start playing my own music until I was 19 and didn't release anything officially until I was 23.

You’ve mentioned in many interviews how you don’t feel any different despite the level of fame and recognition you’ve now achieved, but was there ever a moment when you realised that you could no longer enjoy the level of anonymity and privacy you once had? Has this been difficult to navigate?

Yes is the short answer. It's something I'm still figuring out and something that I'm conscious not to revel in the negativity of.

I really enjoyed anonymity and still do when I can find it, which maybe can't be said for everybody, but it's something that can be found while traveling alone sometimes.

I think that sense of anonymity is something everybody should experience.

Jack Keourac talks briefly about it in 'On The Road', shortly after the protagonist has left home. I can't remember the language he uses, whether it's 'forgetting himself' or 'losing himself'. As I said, Yes is the short answer.

Hi. I know this is mostly, well all, about you. But does you mother still create her beautiful art? and if so does she have any social media where she posts it, or shares her techniques. Hopefully one day I could see her artwork, and does she work with a certain gallery wheree her artwork can be seen ?
I hope you get this in the sea of questions being asked on this lol :).

Yeah! Fuck me!! I literally just got into their stuff. A bit late, but to be honest "Multi Love" just freaks me out - how amazingly crafted that song is. I'm young to it though so I'm still getting into their recent album.

You've recently posted a picture of a page from Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, and have often mentioned the likes of Wilde, Joyce and Orwell in your interviews. When did you sort of become exposed to these works - was it through school or do you seek them out yourself? Are you a fan of any other writers or literary works?

I'm obsessed with your guitar 'Epi' (the Epiphone Broadway). I wanna get one like yours, but there aren't like that. (The colour) What did you do to it? Can you explain the story and if it is still with you? Thanks.

Fantastic to hear the new single. It sounds fantastic.
I was introduced to your music by my partner (another huge fan, she says hi very shyly). I had heard "take me to church" on the radio so frequently that it had blended with much of the mediocre white noise of shopping malls (it shouldn't have) and I couldn't filter out the awesome of it at the time.
My partner was playing "in the woods somewhere" and I suddenly stopped and heard the lyrics. Since then we saw your Sydney show and your show in Byron bay last year. 👍
As a fan of narrative and fiction, this spoke to me on so many levels. I considered it a horror story, Tis one of my all time favorite pieces of modern music and still hearing it today sends chills.

My questions are:
Do you read horror fiction? And if so, did it contribute to your writing of the song in any way?

Good evening, Andrew! I really appreciate your uniqueness and talent, especially in today's music industry. I love you and your music very much.

I went to see you live in Copenhagen earlier this year, and it was one of the most euphoric moments of my life. You're absolutely incredible; I had very high expectations and you exceeded them with ease.

You just released your single "Better Love", and my first question is if you're currently working on a new album, or if you're working on something new for us to listen to? I can't wait for a new tour and to hear your amazing voice live again!
And my second question has to do with your interests outside of music. Having been on your social media I've seen a lot of "geeky"-things, such as piano covers dedicated to the Legend of Zelda, that makes me believe that you are a gamer or atleast grew up with video games. So my second question is, what is your all-time favorite game, and why?

1 Thank you very much! I think you're being a bit too generous there with the praise, but thank you and thank you for coming to the show in Copenhagen. I am working on a new album. Releasing the new single this month is a nice way to say goodbye for a while, I suppose - and get back to it.

2 Well spotted! In a lot of ways, I suppose I'm a child of the 90's. Video games and a lot of the imagery surrounding video games is something that has always appealed to me. Favorite video game? I don't know if I have one. Honestly, I've always been very moved by the Legend of Zelda games. Currently buzzed for a lot of the VR stuff coming out.